Tehran, Sep 2: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has on Thursday condemned the United States, noting Tehran pursued diplomatic means to ease escalated tensions in the Middle East, whereas Washington has prefered to use military means against the Islamic Republic, according to Sputnik.
"Coalition for Peaceful Resolution"?
Iran's diplomatic iniatives:
'85 Security in Persian Gulf
'97 Dialogue Among Civilizations
'13 World Against Violence
'13 Syria Peace Plan
'14 Regional Dialogue Forum
'15 Yemen Peace Plan
'17 Astana Process
'19 Regional Non-Aggression Pact— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) September 20, 2019
The statement comes after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia officially joined the coalition of the US-led international maritime mission that aims at patroling waters nearby Iran. Their decision came following Yemen’s Houthi rebel-claimed drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s Aramco oil plants.
Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, claimed the US intended to generate a “coalition aimed at achieving peace and a peaceful resolution”.
At present, Bahrain, the UK, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Australia, have joined the US-led international naval initiative, while Iraq and, any other European nations have dismissed it.
Saudi Arabia has recently raised security concerns post drone attacks on Aramco oil facilities that has caused a considerable negative shift in the nation’s net oil export, indirectly affecting global oil prices.
“The kingdom’s accession to this international alliance comes in support of regional and international efforts to deter and counter threats to maritime navigation and global trade in order to ensure global energy security and the continued flow of energy supplies to the global economy and contribute to maintain international peace and security”, the SPA news agency reported.
On July 24, senior Iranian authorities cautioned against any attempts to establish an international alliance to secure shipping in the Gulf, with Tehran’s first vice president warning the move will just carry instability to the locale.
The reaction came after Denmark, France, the Netherlands, and Italy supported a British proposal for a European maritime force after Iran captured a UK-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Al-Jazeera news reports.